A slow-moving storm system bringing scattered storms to the area developed an ominous-looking funnel cloud near Holden, Mo. Tuesday evening.

The funnel cloud that formed is referred to as a cold-air funnel. These funnels usually form higher in the atmosphere and have weaker rotation than a typical funnel cloud associated with a tornado.

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Our slow-moving storm system that has been drifting across the southern Plains the last few days has been pulling colder air into middle and upper parts of the atmosphere. This process helps provide instability for storms to develop.

The large-scale circulation of the storm system creates conditions more favorable spinning in the atmosphere. Localized areas of higher spin were likely created Tuesday evening as outflow winds rushing outward from dying storms collided over Johnson County.

Cold-air funnels can, but almost never touch down and become tornadoes. Instances where tornadoes form, the twisters are usually very weak and short-lived, but can still cause damage.

Cold-air funnels usually form near updrafts that are much weaker than typical tornado-producing funnel clouds.

Cold-air funnels typically form in areas of weak showers and can be difficult to approximate location or development on radar. For this reason and the others previously listed, tornado warnings are not usually issued for these occurrences.